Method of and apparatus for sizing warps



p 1969 susuMu KURODA METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIZING WARPS Filed Nov. 15, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m ix P 6, 1969 susuMu KURODA METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIZING WARPS Filed Nov. 15, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,466,717 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIZING WARPS Susumu Kuroda, Nagoya, Japan, assignor to Kawamoto Industrial Co., Ltd., Nagoya, Japan, a corporation of Ja an p Filed Nov. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 683,332 Claims priority, application Japan, Nov. 19, 1966, 41/ 76,291 Int. Cl. D06c 29/00 U.S. Cl. 2828 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is concerned with sizing of warps which is performed before the yarns are,woven into a cloth, and more particularly, it relates to a method of and an apparatus for sizing warps by the use of a quickly solidifying size in which wax predominates.

Conventional sizing methods using a liquid size involved various shortcomings and difficulties resulting from the use of water soluble size. Some of these shortcomings and difficulties of the prior art will be enumerated as follows.

In the sizing methods of the prior art employing water soluble size, the yarns coated with such a size absorbed the water which was contained in the size, and as a result, the yarns became wet and swollen. During the course of the transfer to and the travel through the drying chamber of the sized yarns, the wet and swollen yarns tended to become entangled and-snarled with the adjacent yarns whenever they were brought into contact with each other due to causes such as the vibration of the apparatus per se and the torque imparted to the twisted yarns.

The wet and swollen yarns which have been fed into the drying chamber tended to become slackened of their tension and depended downwardly during the first half of the drying process, while in the latter half of the drying process the yarns tended to shrink as the result of drying. For this reason, it has been difficult to control the tension of the yarns throughout the entire process of sizing.

An attempt of effecting complete removal, by evaporation, of water from the size solution adhering to the yarns would require a large amount of calory for the heating, and such an attempt would involve a great deal of cost for the drying of sized yarns.

In such conventional method of and apparatus for sizing warps, an arrangement was proposed so that the sized wet yarns were caused to be brought into pressure contact with a number of rollers not only during the course of the transfer of the yarns to the drying chamber but also in the drying section as well. As a result, the yarns which were required to have round cross sections were unavoidably forced to have deformed flat cross sections. Cloths which were woven with yarns having such deformed flat cross sections did not give a satisfactory, agreeable feeling.

The yarns which were sized with the aforesaid conventional sizing agents lacked satisfactory facial smoothness or slidability and, accordingly, they were poor in their "Ice weavability. In order to improve these shortcomings and difliculties of the prior art, it was necessary to subject them to an additional after-waxing or after-oiling treatment subsequent to the sizing and drying steps.

Furthermore, in the sizing method of the prior art Where the conventional size was used, it was impossible to apply the same size solution equally to various kinds of yarns. It was necessary to select the proper size for each type of yarns used. For example, the size which was applicable to the sizing of cotton spun yarns, blended spun yarns, hydrophilic yarns such as acetate filament yarns and rayon filament yarns was not applicable to the sizing of hydrophobic yarns such as nylon and tetoron yarns. For this reason, in case it was intended to treat several different kinds of yarns with a single sizing apparatus, the size solution had to be replaced with a different kind of size adequate for each different type of yarns to be treated, resulting in a marked reduction in the efficiency of operation.

There has been developed a method and an apparatus which were intended for the solution of the aforesaid problem of the occurrence of entanglement and snarling of the yarns by arranging so that the sized yarns were adapted to be introduced into the drying chamber and so that the drying of the yarns was performed in said drying chamber while the yarns were being transferred in the arrangement wherein the respective yarns were spaced from each other by means of dividing rollers or the like. Such method and apparatus, however, have never solved all of the aforesaid shortcomings and difliculties to a satisfactory extent.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to solve all of the aforesaid shortcomings and difiiculties encountered with the prior art.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of sizing a large number of yarns while being fed in sheet form, by the use of a size in which wax predominates and which is of a property that is in solid state at room temperature and is in liquid state at a substantially elevated temperature above room temperature, said method including the steps of supporting said size in liquid state in a container, applying said liquid size onto said yarns while being fed in sheet form, and passing said size-coated yarns through a chamber in which cooled air currents are circulated to thereby coagulate or solidify said size on said yarns.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for sizing yarns comprising a sizing section for applying a size onto yarns and a size solidifying section disposed adjacent to said sizing section and adapted for solidifying or coagulating the size which is coated on said yarns, the predominant composition of said size being wax, said apparatus being operative to size said yarns while being advanced continuously through said respective sections, wherein said sizing section comprises a size vat adapted for maintaining said size in liquid state and size applying means disposed adjacent to said size vat and adapted for applying said liquid size onto said yarns while being advanced, and said size solidifying section has a cooling chamber defined by rear and front end walls provided with an inlet and an outlet, respectively, for the yarns and also by opposite side walls and an openable top cover, said solidifying section being provided within said cooling chamber with a cooling means for generating and circulating cooled air currents therein.

The foregoing objects and the features as well as other objects and the attendant advantages will be made apparent by the following detailed description.

The present invention will hereunder be described in connection with an embodiment by referring to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the warp sizing apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational view of an example of the yarn supply section in the aforesaid apparatus, incorporating a warpers beam;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevational view of an example of the beaming section in the apparatus of FIG. 1, incorporating the members of the beaming section of a warper;

FIG. 4 is a representation similar to FIG. 3, showing an example of the beaming section in the apparatus of FIG. 1, equipped with the members of the drum section of a sectional warper; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are representations of modified examples of the size vat for use in the apparatus of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the warp sizing apparatus of the present invention comprises, substantially, a yarn supply section A, a sizing section B, a size solidifying section C and a beaming section D which are arranged in the order of the successive steps with which the yarns are processed, and further comprises a drive source and drive force transmission section B.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the yarn supply section A comprises a plurality of creels 1 and a plurality of cheeses 2 mounted thereon.

Between the yarn supply section A and the sizing section B is provided a mechanism adapted for withdrawing a group consisting of a plurality of yarns 3 from a plurality of creels 1 of said yarn supply section A while converging the withdrawn yarns in their feeding direction and also adjusting the overall width of the yarns as well as the intervals between the individual yarns. This mechanism includes a first comb 4, guide rollers 5 and 6, a carrier roller unit 7 and a push-up roller 8 and a second comb 9. Said carrier roller unit 7 comprises a powerdriven main roller 7a and two auxiliary rollers 7b and 7c. The push-up roller 8 normally is positioned below the plane of the passage or path of the grouped yarns so that the yarns are normally out of contact with this pushup roller 8. The function of this push-up roller 8 will be described later.

The sizing section B includes a sizing chamber 10 which is defined by an openable top cover 11, front and rear end walls and opposite side walls. Said rear end Wall is provided with an inlet slot 12 for the incoming yarns, while the front end wall is provided with an outlet slot 13 for the outgoing yarns. An appropriate number of electric heaters 14 are mounted on the inner wall of said cover 11. Within the sizing chamber 10 is provided a size vat 15 in which is housed an electric heater (not shown). This size vat contains a quick solidifying type molten size 16 whose predominant composition is wax. This molten size may be made with hardened castor oil, Z-ethylhexyl-acrylate and henzoyl peroxide as is described in Example 1 of Japanese Patent Publication No. 14,280/ 1965 (Inventors: Yoshihiro Saito and Harukichi Kitarnura; applicant: Gooh Kagaku Kogyo K. K.) which, when used, is heated to a temperature ranging from 90 to 100 C. to render it to molten or liquid state.

In the upper section of the size vat 15 is disposed a sizing roller 17 in such manner that the lower portion of which is immersed in a bath of said molten size 16 and that the top thereof is positioned so as to be in substantially the same level with the path of the yarns. The roller 17 is heated from within the roller by an appropriate means housed therein and is rotated by a driving means in the feeding direction of the yarns with a peripheral speed which is smaller than the speed at which the yarns are fed. Disposed rearwardly of the sizing roller 17 is a doctor roller 18 with a very small space being left therebetween, said doctor roller being adapted to be rotated either in the same direction as the sizing roller 17 or in the opposite direction relative thereto, for effecting the control of the amount of the molten size which adheres to and is transferred by the periphery of the roller 17 to the yarns.

In the forward section within the sizing chamber 10 are provided vertically adjustable size levelling rollers 19, 20 and 21 at a level substantially the same as the path of the yarns. These rollers are adapted to be heated by appropriate means and are rotated by driving means, re spectively, with a peripheral speed which is smaller than the speed at which the yarns are advanced. A felt member 65 for wiping off the molten size is disposed so as to be in sliding contact with each of the size leveling rollers 19, 2t) and 21, so that the molten size adhering to the peripheries of these size levelling rollers is adapted to be wiped off.

The size solidifying section C includes a cooling and solidifying chamber 22 which is located adjacent to the delivery side of the sizing chamber 14). This chamber 22 is defined by rear and front end walls provided with an inlet slot 24 and an outlet slot 25, respectively, and also by opposite side walls (not shown) and by an openable top cover 23. In the lower section of the cooling and solidifying chamber 22 is provided a cooling means 27 equipped with a fan (not shown). There are provided in the solidifying chamber an air supply duct 28 and an air suction duct 29 which are connected to said cooling means. The air supply duct 28 has its foremost end which opens the rearward section of the cooling and solidifying chamber, while the foremost end of the air suction duct 29 opens in the forward section of said chamber. Accordingly, the air in said cooling and solidifying chamber is sucked into the opening of the air suction duct 29 and, after being cooled by the cooling means, it is passed through said air supply duct 28 to be ejected into said rearward section of the cooling and solidifying chamber and therefrom the air currents drift toward said forward section of the chamber and are again sucked into the air suction duct to be recycled.

Several guide rollers 26 are disposed in vertical stages in substantially the central section of the cooling and solidifying chamber 22. The function of these rollers will be described later.

Between the solidifying section C and the beaming section D are provided, successively in the order of the passage of the yarns, a comb 30 for adjusting the arrangement of the rows of yarns, a guide roller 31 for guiding the advancing yarns, a dancer roller 32 which is disposed above said roller 31, and a second guide roller 33 which is positioned at the same level as said guide roller 31.

The beaming section D has a measuring roller 36, a beaming roller 37, a twitch roller 38 and a take-up beam 39. These members are mounted on a frame 34.

The driving source and drive force transmission mechanism E is divided roughly into the following two systems. One of them comprises a motor 40 and a mechanism for transmitting its drive force. The other comprises a motor 48 and a mechanism for transmitting its drive force.

The motor 411 is a DC motor, the drive force of which is transmitted to a main transmission shaft 41. Speed change mechanisms 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 47 are coupled, through appropriate transmission members, to said main transmission shaft 41. The transmission mechanism 42, on the other hand, is coupled, through an appropriate transmission member, to a carrier roller unit 7. In a similar manner, the speed change mechanism 43 is coupled to the beaming roller 37. The speed change mechanism 44 is coupled to the sizing roller 17 to rotate the same. Between the toothed wheels (not shown) mounted on the respective shafts of said sizing roller 17 and the doctor roller 18 is interposed an intermediate toothed wheel (an idle gear). Accordingly, the doctor roller 18 is rotated in the same direction as the sizing roller 17. On the other hand, the speed change mechanisms 45, 46 and 47 are coupled to the size levelling rollers 19', 20 and 21,

respectively, so as to rotate them in the direction in which the yarns are transferred.

The motor 48 is a DC motor, the driving force of which is adapted to be utilized for the driving of the take-up beam 39 through a speed change mechanism 49.

The rotation speed of the motor 48 is adapted to be slowed down in accordance with the increase in the accumulated layers of yarns wound around the take-up beam 39.

Description will next be directed to the operation of the apparatus of the present invention.

The yarns 3 which are withdrawn from the respective cheeses located in the yarn supply section A are convergingly gathered together as illustrated, and while they are passing the comb 4, adjustment is made of the intervals or spaces between the respective pairs of the yarns. While retaining the transverse intervals between the adjacent individual yarns, the rows of yarns are withdrawn while being in contact with the upper periphery and also the lower periphery of the guide rollers 5 and 6, respectively. Thereafter, the yarns are passed around the upper periphery of the auxaliary roller 7b of the carrier roller unit 7 and are led to the lower periphery of the main roller 7a of said unit. Therefrom the yarns again proceed upwardly so that they are passed around the rear face and are led to the upper periphery of the roller 7c and then, passing at a level above the push-up roller 8, the yarns are advanced through the second comb 9.

The yarns which have passed through the comb 9 are fed in sheet form into the sizing chamber 10 through the inlet slot 12 thereof. The term sheet form used herein mean a large number of warps arranged in one plane in parallel and transversely spaced relation with each other, and do not imply such form of material as paper or woven cloth which extends in the form of a continuous sheet.

The sheet form yarns which have entered into the sizing chamber 10- are fed so as to be brought into contact with the top periphery of the sizing roller 17. The yarns are coated here with the molten size by said sizing roller which rotates at a peripheral speed which is smaller than the speed at which the yarns are advanced. The amount of the molten size which is coated on the yarns can be adjusted by the doctor roller 18 in a manner as has been described above. The yarns which have been coated with the molten size are further advanced continuously while being brought into sliding contact or frictional engagement with the lower periphery, the upper periphery and the lower periphery of the size levelling rollers 19, 20 and 21, respectively, in this order. The size levelling rollers 19, 20 and 21 work in such fashion that they wipe surplus molten size off from the portions of the peripheries of the individual yarns where an excessive amount of size adheres to, and at the same time work so as to shift or move a part of such surplus size to the portions of the yarns where there is a shortage in the amount of the adhering size, so that the peripheries of the individual yarns are coated evenly with a proper amount of size, and the size levelling rollers also work so as to enable a part of the size adhering to the peripheries of the yarns to permeate into the interior portions of the individual yarns.

As has been described hereinabove, the sizing chamber is heated by electric heaters 14 mounted on the inner wall of the cover 11 thereof. Besides, this chamber is substantially closed with the exception of the portions of the inlet slot 12 and the outlet slot 13 thereof, so that the temperature within this chamber is substantially perfectly preserved. As a result, the molten size coated on the individual yarns by the sizing roller 17 is prevented from becoming solidified. Moreover, the size levelling rollers per se are also heated, and therefore, the molten size which has been applied onto the peripheries of the individual yarns is evenly distributed over the peripheries of the respective yarns.

The amount by weight of the size adhering to an individual yarn is preferably in the range of from 2.0% to 2.5% of the weight of the yarn. It has been already stated that the amount of the size applied onto the yarns can be adjusted by virtue of the doctor roller 18. It should also be noted that a further adjustment of a very small amount of the size adhering to the individual yarns 3 can be effected by controlling the space provided between the sizing roller 17 and the doctor roller 18 so as to adjust the amount of the size to be carried on the periphery of the sizing roller 17, and further by controlling the length of the yarns 3 where the same contact with the periphery of the sizing roller 17 which is effected by arranging the size levelling rollers 19, 20 and 21 so as to be adjusted of their levels or vertical positions.

The yarns which have been subjected to the size levelling operation are delivered from the outlet slot 13 of the sizing chamber 10 and are fed therefrom to the cooling and solidifying chamber 22 of the next step through the inlet slot 24 thereof. The adjacently arranged rows of sheet-form individual yarns Which have been introduced into the cooling and solidifying chamber 22 are, needless to say, arranged in such a manner that the respective yarns are transversely spaced from each other. In order to further widen this lateral spaces between the individual yarns, the sheet form yarns are vertically divided further into several groups 3B of rows of yarns. The divided individual groups 3B of rows of yarns are applied onto each of the dividing guide rollers 26. As a result, the divided groups of yarns are rendered to assume a state in which the yarns are diverged forwardly for the distance starting from the size levelling roller 21 in the preceding step to the dividing guide roller 26.

The divided groups of yarns which have passed the dividing guide roller 26 are gradually converged as they proceed and are delivered from the cooling and solidifying chamber 22 through its outlet slot 25. Thereafter the delivered yarns are advanced through the comb 30 to adjust the row arrangement and are then applied onto the guide rollers 31 and 33 so that the yarns are gathered together to resume their initial sheet form 3A. The sheet form yarns 3A are then pressed from thereabove by a dancer roller 32 while travelling between the guide rollers 31 and 33 so that the possible occurrence of slackening in the tension of the rows of yarns is prevented.

For the distance from the dividing guide roller 26 located in the cooling and solidifying chamber 22 to the dancer roller 32, the groups of rows of yarns are gradually converged as the yarns proceed. Therefore, it should be understood that the spaces between the respective pairs of yarns attain the greatest intervals when the yarns are positioned at the dividing guide roller 26. Such great intervals between the individual yarns are useful and effective when cooling air currents are passed through the spaces provided between the respecive pairs of yarns to cool the molten size carried thereon. The cool air currents which are generated by the cooling means 27 are adapted to freely pass through the spaces between the individual yarns in the cooling and solidifying chamber 22 so that the cool air currents cool and solidify the molten size adhering to the peripheries of the individual yarns rapidly or relatively shorter period.

Now, the sheet form yarns 3A which have passed the guide roller 33 enter into the beaming section D, and while passing through the comb 35, the width of the rows 3A of the yarns is adjusted to a required width and also the intervals between the individual yarns are adjusted again. Thereafter, the yarns are passed around the upper periphery of the measuring roller 36 and around the rear as well as the lower periphery of the beaming roller 37, and they are further passed around the upper periphery of the twitch roller 38. Therefrom the yarns are transferred to the take-up beam 39 for being wound therearound.

The yarns wound around the take-up beam 39 are then collected in a desired number to be wound around a loom beam, but this loom beam is not included in the scope of the present invention.

In case the operation of the apparatus of the present invention is suspended due to the breakage of yarns or like reasons, the push-up roller 8 is lifted to push the rows 3A of yarns upwardly whereby the sizing roller 17 is disengaged from its contact with the rows 3A of yarns. In order to resume the operation, on the other hand, the push-up roller 8 is lowered so that the rows 3A of yarns are again brought into contact with the sizing roller 17.

In the embodiment described above, electric heaters 14 are provided on the inner wall of the cover 11 of the sizing chamber to heat the interior of said chamber and to preserve the chamber at an elevated temperature. However, the sizing chamber 10 is substantially perfectly closed with the exception of the portions of the inlet slot 12 and the outlet slot 13, and besides, a relatively large amount of heat is emitted from the heated size vat 15 and also from other portions of the chamber, and therefore, the interior of the chamber is kept at a sufficiently elevated temperature, so that the molten size applied onto the yarns is prevented from being rapidly cooled and solidified. For this reason, the provision of the electric heaters 14 may be omitted when the circumstance permits it.

The aforesaid embodiment is designed so as to perform the operation at a high speed and with good efficiency by the arrangement such that a dividing guide roller 26 is provided in the cooling and solidifying chamber 22 to divide the rows 3A of yarns into vertically spaced stages so that the molten size adhering to the yarns 3 is solidified by being contacted by the cool air currents. It is to be understood, however, that in case the number of the yarns to be treated is small and in case, accordingly, there can be provided wider spaces between the adjacent yarns, the yarns may be fed in sheet form 3A into the solidifying section without dividing the rows of yarns into vertical stages. In such an instance, therefore, the provision of the dividing guide roller 26 is not necessary.

In some cases, the cooling means 27 may also be omitted, and the solidification of the molten size adhering to the yarns may be effected only by the supply of the currents of air held at room temperature.

In the yarn supply section A of the embodiment shown in FIG.1, the yarns 3 are adapted to be withdrawn from the cheeses 2 which are mounted on the creels 1. In lieu of this arrangement, the set-up of the yarn supply section A may be modified so that beam creel and warpers beams 51 mounted thereon may be installed as shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the respective sheet-form rows of yarns withdrawn from said warpers beams 51 are passed through the comb 4 to be adjusted of the width of the rows of yarns in a manner similar to that described in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 1. Thereafter the yarns are applied onto the guide rollers 5 and 6 successively so that the respective sheet-form rows of yarns are gathered together into a single sheet form by these rollers, and therefrom the single sheet of yarns is passed through the carrier roller unit 7. Thereafter, the sizing is performed in a manner similar to that described with respect to the preceding embodiment. In this modified embodiment, it is desirous to restrict the number of the warpers beams 51 so that the yarns withdrawn from the warpers beams are arranged in one plane in sufficiently spaced relation with each other in order to avoid the overlying or contacting of yarns which may occur among the multitude of the travelling yarns grouped into a sheet form.

A modified embodiment of the beaming section D is represented by the adoption of the beaming section 52 of a warper and the manner as is shown in FIG. 3. Such a beaming section 52 includes a first comb 53, a carrier roller unit 54, a second comb 55 and a guide roller 56 all of which are disposed at substantially the same level with the path of the yarns in the order of the advancement of the yarns, and also includes a warpers beam 58 disposed below the guide roller 56. The yarns which have already undergone the side solidifying treatment are passed in sheet form 3A through said comb 53, and via the carrier roller unit 54, they are passed once again through said second comb 55, by which the width of the sheet 3A is adjusted to the width (length) of the warpers beam 58. Therefrom the sheet form yarns are further passed around the guide roller 56 and are directed or led to the warpers beam 58 which is held in contact with a drum 57. The sheet of yarns is then wound around the warpers beam 58 due to the rotation of said drum 57. The drum 57 which is rotated while being held in contact with the layers of yarns wound around the warpers beam is installed closer to said beam 58.

A further modification of the beaming section D is shown in FIG. 4. In this modified embodiment, a drum section 59 of a sectional warper is utilized. This drum section 59 includes a leasing comb 60, a guide roller 61, a comb 62 and a drum 63. The sheet form yarns 3A are passed through these respective members in this order to be finally wound around the drum 63.

The yarns which have been wound around the warpers beam 58 are then re-wound around a single loom beam after being collected into a required number of yarns as in the case of the take-up beam 39. Also, the yarns wound around the drum 63 of the sectional warper is rewound around a single warpers beam. It is to be noted, however, that these operations concerning these re-winding do not constitute a part of the present invention.

Modified examples of the sizing section B are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the doctor roller is substituted by an upper Sizer-roller 17 which is disposed above the sizing roller 17 in rolling contact therewith and so as to be brought into contact also with the advancing yarns at the top periphery of the roller 17. These two sizing rollers 17 and 17 are rotated in the directions as are indicated by the arrows, respectively. The molten size is allowed to adhere first onto the periphery of the roller 17 and then it is transferred therefrom to the periphery of the roller 17 and in turn onto the travelling yarns as the yarns are in contact with the top of said roller 17'. The roller 17' is rotated at a peripheral speed which is smaller that the feeding speed of the yarns, in the same way as in the case of the described first embodiment where the peripheral speed of the sizing roller 17 is smaller than the feeding speed of the yarns.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, a doctor knife 64 is used in place of the doctor rolls 18. This doctor knife 64 is made of a material such as felt and it serves to adjust the amount of the molten size adhering to the periphery of the sizing roller 17 which is adapted for applying the molten size onto the yarns 3 as the latter are in contact with the top periphery of the sizing roller 17.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that high speed operation may be accomplished by providing, in the sizing chamber 10, a plurality of size vats 15 disposed in series in the direction of the advancement of the yarns, or by the provision of a size vat of a substantial length extending in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus which is divided by laterally extending partition walls installed therein into several adjacent sections arranged in series in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus, each of said sections being provided with a unit of size applying means comprising a sizing roller and a doctor roller or with such a modified sizing unit as has been described above.

The present invention utilizes a quickly solidifying size in which wax predominates and which is melted by the application of heat so that the molten size is deposited or applied onto the yarns by a sizing roller or rollers, and the present invention is not one which is so designed as to immerse the yarns into a size solution which contains water. Therefore, the yarns which are treated according to the method and the apparatus of the present invention are made free from such an undesirable phenomenon as is encountered where the yarns are substantially impregnated with waterbearing size solution and the resulting Wet yarns become swollen and these swollen yarns shrink to a considerable degree upon being dried. Therefore, the tendency of the occurrence of entanglement and snarling of yarns encountered in the process of the prior art is minimized according to the process of the present invention for sizing and cooling and solidifying sized yarns. In addition, the present invention minimizes the Wetting and the resulting swelling of yarns and also minimizes the shrinkage of yarns caused by drying, and this fact greatly facilitates the control of the tension of the yarns throughout the sizing operation.

The conventional method which used a size solution containing a large amount of water required the consumption of a considerable amount of calory and cost for the drying of the size solution adhering to yarns. According to the method and the apparatus of the present invention, however, the molten size is easily solidified by air-cooling which is done by the mere application of air currents which are held at normal temperature, with the result that the method of the present invention provides an outstanding economy as compared with the prior art.

In the prior art Where a size which contained water was used, it was quite difiicult to uniformalize or equalize the temperature distribution Within the drying apparatus or in the drying chamber in which was dried the size solution. It was also technically difficult to evenly apply heated air currents to all of the yarns which were being transferred through a drying apparatus, with a result that the yarns treated according to such method and by such apparatus of the prior art were exposed to adverse effect of no small extent. In contrast to the drying method of the prior art, the method of the present invention is designed to solidify the molten size coated on the yarns by the mere application of cool air currents, leading to the fact that the difficulties which were accompanied by the use of the method and the apparatus of the prior art are eliminated perfectly according to the present invention and that as a result, the yarns are treated to give the desired effect.

The ultilization of cool currents permits the operation to be performed with high speed. Also, the absence of the use of any volatile solvent in the sizing process eliminates the possibility of any danger to occur during the operation.

Furthermore, according to the method and the apparatus of the present invention, the chances that the members constituting the apparatus are brought into contact with the yarns during the process of cooling and solidifying the molten size adhering to the yarns are eliminated to a minimum extent, with the result that the finished sized yarns are always given round cross sections. Moreover, at the time of the application of size, the molten size is applied evenly onto the entire peripheries of all of the yarns by the provision of the size levelling rollers, leading to the fact that the embracing force of the size which envelops the yarns can increase so that, as a result, there is caused hardly any flufiing of yarns to develop. For the reasons described above, the cloths which are woven with the yarns treated according to the present invention give a very agreeable feeling.

In addition, the yarns treated according to the present invention .are smooth and are of good slidablity and of satisfactory resistance to wear, and therefore, the yarns not only do not require to be subjected to any additional treatment such as after-waxing and after-oiling treatment, but also they are of highly increased weavability, Furthermore, the yarn obtained according to the present invention is free from being hygroscopic, and accordingly, it is possible to directly subject them to water jet looms which provide an increased weaving efiiciency.

Moreover, since the present invention eliminates the development of swelling and shrinking of yarns during the sizing and the cooling-solidifying steps, it is suited for the sizing of all kinds of yarns including spun yarns, synthetic filament yarns and man-made filament yarns. Accordingly, there is no need for changing, unlike the prior art, the size from one type to another to meet the different kinds of yarns which are treated. Instead, any kind of yarns can be sized With a single and the same type of size, and this permits the operation of changing yarns from a certain type to a different type to be accomplished rapidly.

As has been described, the method of the present invention requires no calory obtained from heating, to effect the solidifying of the applied size, and permits economical production of sized yarns which are of highly increased 'weavability and which need no additional after-waxing nor after-oiling treatment.

Accordingly, the apparatus for practicing the method of the present invention does not require the provision of means for carrying out such surplus treating steps as mentioned above. This accordingly leads to a reduced price of the apparatus as a Whole.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of sizing a large number of yarns being advanced in sheet form with a size including Wax as the predominant component thereof which is in solid state at room temperature and is in liquid state at a substantially elevated temperature above room temperature, said method comprising storing the size in liquid state in a container, applying the liquid size to the peripheral surface of a heated roll, regulating the quantity of size adhering to the heated roll, contacting the peripheral surface of the heated roll with the size thereon with the advancing yarns to transfer the regulated liquid size from said roll to said yarns, contacting the surfaces of the thus sizecoated yarns with a plurality of heated levelling rolls so that excess size on each of said yarns is removed by said levelling rolls and uniformly applied to the yarns throughout the entire length thereof, and passing the thus sizecoated yarns through a size solidifying chamber in which cooled air currents are circulated to solidify said size on said yarns.

2. a method as claimed in claim 1, in which the yarns are advanced through said solidifying chamber in spaced relationship with each other, whereby cooled air flows freely through the spaces between adjacent pairs of the yarns thereby to facilitate the solidification of the size applied onto the yarns.

3. An apparatus for sizing a large number of yarns by use of a size including wax as the predominant component thereof which is in solid state at room temperature and is in liquid state at a substantially elevated temperature above room temperature, said apparatus comprising a sizing section for coating yarns with size and a size solidifying section disposed adjacent said sizing section for solidifying the size coated on the yarns, means for advancing the yarns in sheet form successively through said sizing and size solidifying sections, said sizing section including sizing chamber defined by front and rear end walls provided with an outlet and an inlet, respectively, for the yarns, opposite side walls and an openable top cover, a vessel within said sizing chamber containing size and including heating means disposed therewithin for keeping the size in liquid, melted condition, size applying roll means for transferring the liquid size from said vessel onto the yarns, means for heating said size applying roll means, doctor means for regulating the quantity of the liquid size which adheres to and is transferred by said size applying roll means to the yarns, a plurality of roll means for contacting the surfaces of the yarns to level the size applied thereto, means for heating the latter said roll) means, and cooling means in said solidifying chamber for generating and circulating cooled air currents therethrough.

4. An apparatus for sizing yarns according to claim 3, wherein said size applying roll means is so positioned as to be adjacent to said vessel and be immersed within the liquid size in said vessel and in sliding contact with the yarns being advanced through said sizing chamber.

5. An apparatus for sizing yarns according to claim 3, wherein said size applying roll means comprises a first roller immersed at the bottom peripheral surface within the bath of the liquid size and a second roller disposed above the first roller in sliding contact with the advancing yarns and in rolling contact with said first roller.

6. An apparatus for sizing yarns according to claim 3, wherein said doctor means comprises a roller disposed in close adjacent relation with said size applying means.

7. An apparatus for sizing yarns according to claim 3, wherein said doctor means comprises a knife of felt material disposed in sliding contact with said size applying roll means.

8. An apparatus for sizing a large number of yarns by use of a size including wax as the predominant component thereof which is in solid state at room temperature and is in liquid state at a substantially elevated temperature above room temperature, said apparatus comprising a sizing section for coating the yarns with size and a size solidifying section disposed adjacent said sizing section for solidifying the size coated on the yarns, means for advancing the yarns in sheet form successively through said sizing and size solidifying sections, said sizing section including a sizing chamber defined by front and rear end walls provided with an outlet and an inlet, respectively, for the yarns, opposite side walls and an openable top cover, said size solidifying section including size solidifying chamber defined by front and rear end walls provided with an inlet and an outlet, respectively, for the yarns, opposite side walls and an openable top cover, a vessel within said sizing containing size and including a heating means disposed therewithin for keeping the size in liquid, rnelted condition, size applying roll means for transferring the liquid size from said vessel onto the yarns, means for heating said size applying roll means, doctor means for regulating the quantity of the liquid size which adheres to and is transferred by said size applying roll means to the yarns, a plurality of roll means for contacting the surfaces of the yarns to level the size applied thereto, means for heating the latter said roll means, a plurality of guide roller means in said solidifying chamber for separating the size-coated yarns passing through said solidifying chamber and cooling means disposed below said guide roller means for generating and circulating cooled air currents therethrough.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,758,622 5/1930 Rindge 2872.6 2,565,407 8/1951 Still 2828 LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

